Saturday, March 6, 2010

Chicken Papaya

I'm sampling new-to-me foods and recipes in an effort to broaden my culinary horizons so I'll occasionally purchase a fruit or vegetable that is not typically found in my kitchen and find a recipe to go with it. This week I purchased a papaya. I like papaya, eating it as I would any melon, but I've never cooked with it, so when I spotted this recipe on Recipezaar with the high ratings I knew immediately what I was going to do.

Hmm....I have an admitted fondness for fruits and meats cooked together yet the jury is still out on this recipe. I liked this, but I didn't really, really like it, and I certainly didn't love it.. I found the sauce a little too sweet, but I think it's partly because I used dark brown sugar and the light brown would have been a better choice. I think the breast should have been cut into bite sized chunks and instead of baking, probably just cooked on the stovetop. I doubled the sauce because the recipe suggested it, if using over rice. It's a good idea, but I would not double the amount of papaya. I loved the addition of orange juice to this; it's perfect company for the papaya, enhancing the delicate flavor.

And one last thing, I wish I knew more about spices as I think this could have used something to give it a little more oomph. Maybe a couple of dried chilis or pepper flakes?

Would I eat this again? Yes, but I'm going to be a bit bolder and try some spices. Would I order it in a restaurant, as written, probably not.

Preheat oven to 350* Fahrenheit. In the roasting pan or baking dish, melt the butter in the oven.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture, or alternatively combine the ingredients in a plastic bag and shake until well combined, and add chicken to coat.

Remove dish from oven and dip the chicken in the melted butter, with the buttered side up.

Bake for about one hour or until chicken is tender when pierced with a fork and juices are clear.

When done, drain fat, reserving chicken, and place chicken back back into the baking dish.

While the chicken is baking, prepare the sauce. Combine all ingredients, except papaya, in a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil, stirring. The sauce was thicken and become clear.

Add the papaya to the chicken, pour the sauce over all, and bake an additional five minutes to heat the papaya through.

It's interesting how you can make a recipe with so many ratings and still come out with changes you want to make that could make it even better to your liking. The dish looks so unique and delicious! And I bet it would be even more so with your choice of spices...

Papaya and chicken sounds like good combination to me! Chicken mixed with fruits can always provide a very tasty dish. Maybe a pinch of cinamon will give it that little more "oomph" as you said.Have a great weekend my friend!

Just reading this I think I would feel the exact same way about this recipe. I love that you are trying new foods. I do that with my kids every summer when I'm off work for a couple weeks and have more time to experiment. We pick something we've either never tried or try a new recipe with something we previously didn't like. We find lots of new favorites that way!

This sounds delicious but I'm with you on the bite size pieces. I like fruit and meat together too as well as fruit in salad. I guess that makes me fruity! LOLI'm asking my brother to help me remember Custard Gelatin. As soon as I can describe it to you, maybe we could begin a search. Thanks for offering to help me! It would be fun to make that recipe. For old times1 :)Have a great weekend Katy!

This sounds delicious but I'm with you on the bite size pieces. I like fruit and meat together too as well as fruit in salad. I guess that makes me fruity! LOLI'm asking my brother to help me remember Custard Gelatin. As soon as I can describe it to you, maybe we could begin a search. Thanks for offering to help me! It would be fun to make that recipe. For old times1 :)Have a great weekend Katy!

I think this might also work with thin cut pork chops. The papaya is a natural tenderizer. It's used that way in Asia. I don't care for it on its own. I find the texture off putting but used this way I think it would be fine.

I LOVE the sound of this recipe...and the looks of it too in the photo....MMMMMM. I do a lot of fruit salsas on the side of meat dishes.....but this combo sounds heavenly. I love trying these new combos too..and Bob loves it when I experiment and try new dishes......I think we're gonna really like this one. :)

Props to you for being brave and forging ahead with papaya. I am not very familiar with papayas and would not even be able to pick one out. They are so good for you and I wish someone would tell me how to buy them. In the meantime, I stick to mangoes, cause I understand them.

This sounds like something Hubby would really enjoy. I must admit I don't know HOW to pick a good papaya (not to mention the papayas we get up here are usually hard to the touch). Maybe they have to soften up like an avocado? I'll have to do some research on how to tell a good/ripe papaya. Thanks for sharing this one Katy.

Katy...I just read a similar recipe in one of my recipe books last night. We are on the same wave length though....I am thinking it needs some oooomph! Papaya is a bit bland to me and as it is so expensive here I would consider really making it count in a dish! For me...I'd add a bit of hot sauce for sure...maybe even a bit of shredded ginger to pick it up!

Well, at least it looks good. : ) Still, I'm sorry it was disappointing. I get SO frustrated when I use my time and ingredients for a mediocre result. Maybe you can add some spices to the leftovers to experiment?

I don't think that I've ever cooked with papaya, but I do like it in my fruit salad. It was brave of you to try. Hope you're having a nice weekend!

I love fruit and meat dishes too. I can't honestly say that I have ever cooked with papaya but, the color and the subtle sweetness would make a good combination of flavors. Like you said, this dish may need to be kicked-up a notch with some additional spices. I agree that the breast meat cut into chunks would be a good idea too.Great post!

Hi Katy, so interesting, I like to mix fruits and meats together. I love the taste that comes out mixing them. I will keep this recipe and will try it. It remembers me another dish that I like very much...chicken with melon

One of the great things about recipes is that you can continue to tweak until you get it to your liking. Maybe you can make it again with all of the changes you noted. Papaya helps to tenderize meat, so it's actually a great combination.

This looks beautiful. Papaya has such a nice texture and the flavor is delicate. Carol and I had quite a time with the lemon chicken we made and both decided to leave out the soy sauce. it worked for us. maybe cut down on the sugar a touch and go for it with the spices! maybe a pinch of ginger? I'll have to give this one a try it sounds delicious!!

About Me

I am an old-fashioned girl at heart, loving old recipes, while still embracing the new. I look for simplicity, deliciousness, and frugality, with an occasional splurge. Many memories are made around food. Let's make good memories together!